6 weeks old

well 6 weeks tomorrow,

harriet is doing really well, she weighed in at 7lbs 5oz last thursday, so up nearly 2 lbs on her birthweight,

she is feeding well and sleeping ok ish, she has good nights where she sleeps lovely and only wakes for 1 feed about 2 am, and the other odd night where she is grumbly and makes lots of noise, which doesnt bother her, just me listening to her keeps me from sleeping as she is still in our room,

i went to glenfield hospital last week just to have my lung function tested, and i am relieved its at 74% which is about what it was at for all my pregnancy, its just hard to try to remember to take everything i am supposed to as i am that preoccupied with taking care of a newborn that by the time i realise its almost the end of the day! but i am going to try harder!

no other news other than its been snowing and we havent been able to get out much, oh and adam has gone back to work so its me doing the night feeds which is ok but it will be difficult if i get unwell!!!

not much interesting happens at the mo,xx

The Birth....

right i will finally write it down, it will be a long one!!!

monday 30th november 35wks- I was admitted to the Natal ward at 4pm, as was planned, i had blood pressure taken and bloods, and had a trace of the babys heart for 20 mins, we were then left to our own devices, which was basically me and adam talking about the next day and how we were feeling, we were both pretty shocked at how fast time had gone from about 28 weeks time just flew! we also did lots of take a break puzzles!!! adam had to leave at 10pm so it was just me, at about midnight a doctor came to site a canula ready for tomorrow, she came witha green canula which was massive and i knew it just wasnt going to happen, although the doctor knew best and tried 4 time before admitting defeat ( i have a port but i wont let anyone touch it who are not sure what it is - and i dont usually go to northampton for cf related care so they had no knowledge) and saying she would send the anethetist to try, at 2 am another doctor came and tried another 3 times with no joy, i wasnt sleeping anyway as i was so so nervous and scared... then at 3am the anethetist came and used lidocane to numb an area and joy of joy he got a green canula in!!! horray!!! so i spent the rest of the night trying to doze, and at 6 am i was given a tablet to stop sickness, - i wasnt allowed to eat from 12midnight before- and then i had observations done and stockings put on and before i knew it adam had arrived at 8am and i was then taken with adam and a student down to the delivery ward, i was taen to HDU and had to gown up and sign the consent forms etc,

1st December 2009 - 35wks 1day - at about 9:05am i was taken to theatre, adam went off to change and then was waiting outside theatre for his cue! i was sat on the table and they tried to get a second line in, as a just n case but they couldnt site one, presumeably ruined from the night before, so it was left as i had one in. then iwas tod they were going to start the spinal, it was traumatic to say the least. i was crying and i was really really nervous and it hurt like hell when the anesthetic went it, it felt like lead gong down my spine into my bottom! and then my legs felt like they were drunk, if that makes any sense! then my bum went all warm!! i was over my tears now and was feeling very jovial about how my bottom half was feeling!

i was set up with a sliding scale and a bag of fluid and then i was laid down and had the sensory tests to make sure i was numb, adam was allowed in and i was ready to go, i was being pushed and pulled and i thought they were getting ready so i asked when they were starting and i was promply told it had already started!!! which shocked me as i was still convinced i could mve my legs if i really tried! they said they were going to push on my stomach to get the baby out, as they did the pushing i couldnt breathe, i litterally could not take a breath in, i started to get worried and then i remember someone askingif i was ok and adam saying 'no she's not she cant breathe' then it went black, while i was out adam was rushed out of theatre in a panic and they were ready to intubate me but i came round with a mask on my face and breathing fine so panic over, i could hear a baby crying and i asked if it was my baby and i was told yes it was, that moment was amazing, i had done it, i had given birth to a little life i had been growing inside for 8 months... adam came back into theatre and sat next to me, because of the shock of seeing me poorly and being rushed out and thinking i might die, he went really pale and said he didnt feel well and then passed out on the floor, only for a few minutes, and then he was fine after a drink and sat back up! we were then told our baby was definately a girl and weighed in at 5lb 9oz and was screaming well, she had an apgar score of 9 and 10 which was great especially for a preemie. she was then brought over and we saw our daughter for the very first time, she was placed on my chest for a few minutes then adam held her, it was a very special moment and one i willnever forget seeing my husband hold our daughter, they were my family!

i was stiched up pretty quick with a long running stitch and we were wheeled into HDU and set up with monitors etc which is normal after a c section, i suddenly felt very strange and asked adam to take harriet off me as i couldnt hold her, my vision went very strange and i felt very odd, i had lost 1000mls of blood and my blood pressure went really low something like 80/40 and the doctors were on the verge of giving me a transfusion but my bloods were ok, after a hour or so laying back and having 3 IVs of fluid being pushed into me i started to perk up, and once i was stable we were left to enjoy each other and i had some skin to skin with Harriet, i offered her the breast but she didnt take it so she had some formula, we had to stay in HDU for 24 hours (normal is 6) but i am glad we did as the care was fantastiic, and i never had any problems in gettin pain meds or something to eat, i had excessive thirst and drank 9 litres of water that day and night, and had to have my catheter changed 3 times as it was full,

recovery wise after a c section for me was so quick, i was up walking that evening after having her and had the dressings off the next day, it was uncomforatble but maneageble!

it was a lovely experience as we got our daughter from it, but it was very nerve racking but a lot is to do with fear of the unknown, but everyone was so good at reassuing me,

i had 'extra' in the way of monitoring because of my cf and had extra anethetists and great physio care afterwards,

well done to getting this far, feel free to ask any questions,

4 weeks old,

Harriet is now 4 weeks old, she feeds very well, taking between 3-4 oz 3-4 hourly, she sleeps well and stays awake during the day for a good few hours, and sleeps at night between her feeds, she was weighed on monday and is a great 7lb 1oz which is an increase of 1lb in a week!!! must be doing something right, i have been officially discharged from the midwife and now just have her 6 week check with the health visitor on the 19th jan and thats it, i just have to take her weekly to be weighed at baby clinic!

still no news with regard to her heel prick results, she will be a carrier of cf which gets flagged up on the heel prick test so am waiting for that to come through.

I still cant believe my luck that this beautiful girl is mine, and has been here for a month, i cant believe i have managed to keep her alive for 4 weeks!!! strange but i do worry something will happen to her but i am getting better as the time goes on.

post pregnancy i am doing great, scar has healed in perfect fashion, although i dont like my 'apron' of tummy that i am sporting but its getting less and less, the blood loss has totally stopped, and my emotions are back on this planet. my chest is doing well, only a slight cough, but i am at clinic next week. i weigh less than what i did when i was first pregnant- which was too much so still going to try to lose a bit but xmas not helping-

and i can now drive!!! yipee!!

my life has changed so dramatically and its tiring and exhausting at times, it is absolutely worth it and i am still on cloud 9, i have my family....

15 days on....

i cant believe i have a 15 day old daughter.... i really cant, it doesnt seem real that after all these years that the baby lying in the moses basket is actually mine... i dont have to give her back, she is all mine. She is the most wonderful thing to have ever happened to me and adam, she has changed our lives forever and its all good, she sleeps well, feeds well and is an absolute joy when she opens her eyes to look around,

i am absolutely shattered but thats expected with a newborn baby, adam has gone back to work for 4 days which has been ok so far, i will post a birth story at some point but i cant quite get the time needed to write it, but all went ok with a few dramas here and there!!

chest is doing ok, tiny bit chesty but am managing to keep it at bay, xx

xx

Harriet Georgina Smith 1st december 2009 5lb 9oz

our long awaited daughter has arrived, she is absolutly perfect in every way and is such a wonderful baby for her mummy and daddy...

steroids over with.... 4 days to go

have been released from northampton hospital, after having steroids. it was a long stay (4 days) but made even longer that i was on hourly obs, hourly bm's and there was no tv or radio at all,. ah well, i was admitted to a maternity ward with pre and post natal women on, had steroids at 1am, which hurt like anything, then was told if my sugars remained stable or under control i would be monitored there for the next few day but if my sugars went over 10mmols twice or over 12mmols once i would need to be transfered to hdu on the labour ward, my first sugar was 10.8, fasting before breakfast and my post breakfast was 14.2 so i was whisked off down to hdu and set up on the sliding scale, it was daunting on hdu as its only 4 beds with 2 midwives and 2 hca's so its just constant, but it was mainly for women who had had c setions and were recovering before going to the ward, so it was nice to have a preview of where we would be on tuesday. my sugars remained erratic esp after tuesdsays dose but by weds night they were normal and i was returned on thursday to the pre/post natal word to await discharge, which i was at 5.15 pm!!!

all in all it was ok, just have to wait for monday when i go in again to be prepped for tuesdays delivery, i have been quite emotional today, i think i am stressed from being in and out of different hospitals for the last 5 weeks, and i keep aving moments where i dont feel ready to have the baby and that its just come too quick, and i keep having moments where i amso excited and cant quite imagine my bump turning into a baby!!! doesnt make sense but i cant make sense of my thoughts or emotions at all either!!!

its just a countdown now for monday so i am getting the house ready, tidying and sorting etc and having a take away tomorrow with our best friends and just chilling before it gets manic!!!

positive vibes and thoughts for tuesday....

hectic few weeks!

well since i last wrote, i spent over 2 weeks in hospital with a really bad chest, increasing to pleurisy and pneuonia. for a while i was very poorly sick but i braved it through and came out the other end, still pregnant and able to breath ok....

i also had to spend my 26th birthday in hospital which i was quite sad and emotional about but about 11 am my cf nurse came to me and said she wanted me to see something so i walked with her down the hospital corridor and into a treatment room and all the staff who were working on the ward were there with balloons, cake and party nibbles and sang happy birthday which was lovely and i cried!!! it was so nice that they had done all that for me because i was spending my birthday in hospital!!!

anyway while i was in, as i was in so much pain i was on pethedine and tramadol which was like being very drunk and quite enjoyable after not having had an alcoholic drink for 8 months!!!

after getting discharged from leicester last wednesday, i had to see the obstetrician on thursday at northampton, and all the other checks, found out i had lost 3 kgs since before i was poorly so my total weight gain was 5 kgs, which at 33 weeks pregnant wasnt great (have since put 2 back on and probably more when i get weighed tomorrow) and on the scan baby was still measuring big around the tummy and leg but to be expected as i am diabetic. anyway there has been a plan of action put into place for my delivery!!! oh my gosh!!!! part 1) to be admitted to a maternity ward tomorrow at 4pm to be given 2 doses of steroids for babys lungs, and to be monitored for 48 hours as the steroids will play havoc with my sugars... so discarge by thursday, weekend at home, then onto part 2) monday 4pm admission to maternity ward for pre delivery physio and then delivery on the tuesday morning by planned c section. i will be 35 weeks and 1 day, but baby looks a good size and doctors both cf and obstetric agree baby should get out before my chest goes bad again!! so our baby will be born on the 1st december 2009, what a lovely day to be born on.

i am both scared and excited, terribly nervous about the actual operation and recovery, but pleased to be meeting our baby who we have been waqiting for nearly 5 years....

i wil update how i get on with steroids on thurs when part one is over!!!!